


Guardian Angel

by RogueTiger



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 14:22:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11693502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueTiger/pseuds/RogueTiger
Summary: Waverly and Nicole's first meeting but... not how it happened in the show ;)





	1. Chapter 1

Waverly didn’t even have time to scream or think more than “oh shitsticks” as she felt her heels slipping back off the top step, the motion dragging her body with it. Her hands reached, grabbing for anything to anchor herself but the tips of her fingers found only empty air as the body that had bumped her backwards moved away.

Everything happened too fast and in slow motion at the same time, giving her ample time to regret decisions she had made, like coming to the game instead of staying home to read, but no time to do anything to save herself.

Hands grabbed her, arms wrapping around her waist and sliding behind her shoulders in a grip that was gentle but firm as she lost the fight and toppled backwards. Waverly had a moment where she viewed the stadium far below upside down, the concrete steps far too close to her head, then the arms holding her securely righted her and Waverly found her face buried against the scented warmth between shoulder and neck as her saviour moved them back away from danger. Body trembling, she clung to them, fingers wrapping themselves desperately in the fabric of their jacket. She couldn’t help it, as something bumped against the back of her knees she cried out in fear and tightened her grip.

“Hey, it’s okay. I got you.”

The voice was soft and gentle, soothing Waverly’s fear with a slight southern purr. It was also very much that of a woman. Waverly allowed herself to relax against her strength as she continued with her light lulling tone as she whispered softly over and over that she was safe.

“Just need to sit you down. Can you do that for me? I want to make sure you didn’t bang your head on the step there.”

Waverly barely contained another whimper as she felt her body lowered and even as her ass found the seat she clung to the woman that had saved her, forcing her to stay bent over her awkwardly. There was no comment from her, no murmur of protest, she just stayed where she was, offering Waverly the support and comfort she needed until she was ready to relax her grip. “I- I’m sorry,” she apologised as she slowly let go of the woman’s jacket enough for her to sit back on her heels so Waverly could finally get a look at her.

“Hey, no need to apologise,” she soothed, her mouth curving into a smile that revealed a bright smile and the kind of dimples that just made Waverly want to keep her smiling. Dragging her eyes away from them, Waverly lost herself in the pools of her wide brown eyes and the concern she could see in them.

Like someone seeing for the first time, or like someone that had nearly plunged down a flight of concrete steps, Waverly found herself memorising every detail of the other woman, her voice, her features, the way the sun made her tightly pulled back red hair glint and the way her fingers gently brushed through her hair to check for cuts and bumps, the way her pulse beat beneath the surface of the delicate line of her throat.

The woman shrugged her way out of her jacket and wrapped it around Waverly’s shoulders to still the shivers she hadn’t even been aware that were wracking her body. She huddled down in the warmth and scent of it and tried to ignore her sudden fascination with the strength she could see in the woman’s arms and shoulders revealed by the tight crop top, sports bra thing she was wearing.

She was curvy but slender and toned in a way that screamed that she worked out in some way or another. Especially her abs. As the woman rose to her feet and reached for something, Waverly found herself looking right at them and she didn’t think she had seen abs so well defined on a woman before. She almost reached out to touch them.

“Here, take a sip.”

Waverly found herself blinking in fascination as she watched the full curve of her lips move. She could hear the gentle lulling tone of her voice and knew there was words but she couldn’t focus on what was been said. A hand cupped her face as gentle as a lovers caress, gentler, she mused as long fingers brushed like velvet across her cheek and moved to tease through the hair just behind her ear. It was the lovers touch you dreamed about that never seemed to be a reality when with a man. At least no man that Waverly had ever been with… in other words… Champ. This was sure but gentle, loving.

Waverly’s heart kicked as the woman leaned in, her lips moving closer. But instead of the kiss she was strangely hoping, longing for, her breath teased across her ear as she spoke over the raucous crowd that didn’t care what had nearly happened to her.

“Can you tell me your name?”

“Erm…” she had to think for a moment longer than she should have and the woman moved back a little, taking the heat of her body and the scent of her skin with her as she leaned back and looked at her in concern. “Waverly… Waverly Earp.”

“Waverly,” the smile was bright her dimples lighting up Waverly’s world as she held out a hand and Waverly watched as her long fingers grasped hers in a hold that was exactly what she had come to expect in so short a space of time, gentle but strong. Struck by the sudden desire to know if she was as strong but gentle lover too, Waverly almost missed it as the woman told her, her name. Almost.

“Haught?”

“Sorry, my bad. Get too used to just using the surname… it's Nicole, Nicole Haught. Though, as it seemed to have shocked Waverly out of the shock she was heading into, Nicole wondered if she shouldn’t phone them up to thank them. “Here,” unscrewing the top, she held the plastic bottle out again. “Don’t worry, it’s just water,” she added as Waverly hesitated.

“Thanks,” Waverly almost moaned again as her fingers brushed across Nicole’s while taking the bottle off her. Taking a hasty gulp in an attempt to take her mind off her wayward thoughts she regretted it in an instant as the cool water almost shot straight down the wrong way as Nicole leaned down and gave Waverly an unobstructed view down the front of her top.

She had never, ever, felt anything towards a woman before. Yeah, she could appreciate beauty in any form and Nicole had that in spades, but she had never wondered what it would be like to kiss a woman, to touch or kiss one… to make love to a woman. Never dreamed or imagined… until right then with Nicole. She’d heard of people falling for their rescuers and wondered if she was going through the same thing? Was she seeing more heat in those caring brown eyes and reading more into the gentleness of her touch?

“Would you like to go out for a coffee!? I- erm that is… if you like coffee? Or we could get a tea or… or something… anything… if you want?” Waverly bit her lip, trying to still her nervous babbling.

“A coffee sounds wonderful… I can’t right now though.”

“That’s okay… I understand,” Waverly muttered softly, sadness tinging her voice.


	2. Chapter 2

Nicole hooked the woman’s chin gently with a finger, turning her hazel eyes up to hers. Jesus Christ but she was so damn beautiful it hurt to see such uncertainty in her eyes. “Rain check? Okay? I would love to go right now but I’m kind of on duty soon and I don’t want to have to drink and run.”

Like a veil been lifted, or just that she wasn’t looking at the woman beneath the crop top, Waverly realised that there was a crest on it for the Purgatory P.D. “Ohhh, you’re a cop?” Blushing, Waverly pulled her hand back as she realised she was touching it… which was a totally inappropriate move as the crest was located over Nicole’s left breast. “I eh, I can’t remember seeing you in town before?”

“I’ve only been in Purgatory a couple of weeks,” Nicole smiled. She didn’t want to freak out the younger woman by mentioning that she had seen her before. Hell, the whole of Purgatory was always talking about one Earp sister or the other. Wynonna though, she was usually mentioned with exasperation bordering on fear whilst Waverly’s name always came wrapped in love. Intrigued by such paragon of all things warm and amazing, Nicole had made it a priority to get a look at her and introduce herself. Unfortunately, one glance had left her too tongue tied to do the introducing. And glances two to ten had been no better either and had forced her to take up drinking alone in her apartment whenever Waverly was working the bar at Shorty’s.

Luckily the sight of Waverly walking up the steps had drawn her eye that day and she had managed to get to her in time to stop her when she’d been knocked backwards. The thought of that beautiful angel laying at the bottom of them, broken, bleeding or worse, had Nicole’s breath hitching in panic.

Fighting the urge to grab Waverly, Nicole surged to her feet and tried to compose herself. Her hands were left fluttering at her sides as she tried to hook her thumbs into her utility belt only to find it wasn’t there. “Well, I’d better get going, are you going to be okay, Waverly?”

Warmth washed through Waverly, forcing her to duck her head to hide her smile at the way Nicole said her name with just a hint of breathiness. “Yes, I’m fine- whoa!” instantly, Waverly regretted her words as she stood up and felt everything tilt around her. She’d been okay until she’d looked at the steps and felt the playing field rush away.

Nicole quickly stepped closer, placing her hands on Waverly’s waist as the younger woman swayed and placed a hand to her forehead as the blood drained from her face leaving her even paler than Nicole. “Okay, you are so not okay.” Frowning in concern, Nicole gently rubbed the back of her neck as she rested her head against her shoulder. “Hold on to me, I’ve got you, Waves.”

“That was trippy, never been afraid of heights before.” Waverly felt better, secure, in Nicole’s strong arms. Better, as in Waverly felt sure she could have stood up on her own easily, if she had wanted to, or if Nicole had stepped back. But neither of them moved.

They were in an area of the stands that was fairly secluded but Nicole was unfortunately aware that they were still out in the open. Yes, she was only helping Waverly but she was all too aware of her own feelings for the young beauty and the way that gossip had a way of spreading out of control in a small town like Purgatory. If anyone saw them it would be all around the town before they even left the small stadium. Part of Nicole didn’t care, she was who she was, but it was Waverly she was thinking of. She had a boyfriend, one who was an utter dick. And Nicole wasn’t thinking that just because she liked Waverly more than she should. She had seen the way he acted around town, chasing after everything in a skirt, and everyone that had a good word to say about Waverly agreed that Champ didn’t deserve her.

“Let me take you home…”


	3. Chapter 3

“…I mean, your home… I don’t think you should be driving… if you’re done with the game that is?”

Waverly smiled against Nicole’s shoulder as she stammered away. Glancing up she could see the colour almost as bright as her hair like a flag across her cheeks and it made her want to do something utterly crazy and kiss her into silence. “I would like that,” she interrupted her. “Oh, but you’re on duty soon! I don’t want to get you into any trouble, I’ll just be careful when I drive.”

“Waverly Earp… I’m an Officer, I am not letting you drive home after that so you’ve got a choice… passenger in the front or I’ll handcuff you and throw you in the back and take you home.”

Waverly couldn’t help it. The take charge tone in Nicole’s voice and the thought of feeling her tightening cuffs around her wrists made things low inside her tighten and want to push Officer Nicole Haught into action. She nearly did it to but balked at the last second. As fascinated as she was by the woman, and as easy going as she seemed, Waverly didn’t really know her well enough to be pushing her in such a brazen fashion. “Okay, I’ll come willingly… this time.” Waverly chewed her lip, waiting for the redhead’s response as the pushy nature Wynonna was always rolling her eyes at, reared its head.

“Well then… I reckon I’ll be keeping the cuffs handy. Ya know, just in case I need them next time.” Winking at the brunette, Nicole picked up the gym bag she had tossed aside to grab Waverly and guided her around to where there were steps with a rail just in case she felt the need to grab them or the arm she made sure to keep close to her whilst she chatted to keep her mind off what had nearly happened. In the end, Waverly didn’t need to grab anything but every time their fingers brushed, Nicole felt sparks shooting through her nerve endings.

As they reached the car park, Nicole spotted Waverly’s jeep across from the squad car she’d used as she opened up the doors so Waverly could make herself comfortable in the front. Tossing her bag into the trunk she climbed in. “Are you supposed to be working tonight?”

“Yeah, not ‘til later though. I’ll catch a ride in with Wynonna.”

“Okay… but, if she can’t for any reason, just give me a call and I’ll take my break and pick you up.” Plucking a slightly creased business card out from the sun visor, she handed it to Waverly. She smiled as the tip of Waverly’s tongue worked its way between her lips as she programmed the number into her phone and pocketed the card anyway.

“Nicole?”

“Hmm?” Looking around she was so dazzled by the cheeky grin on Waverly’s face that she almost didn’t hear the click of the camera on Waverly’s phone as she took her picture to put to her name. “Waverly Earp!”

“You don’t mind do you? I just like to be able to put faces with everyone in my contacts list.”

“Oh… that forgettable am I?” Nicole teased. “Hey,” softening her tone at the uncertain look in Waverly’s eyes, Nicole gently brushed the back of Waverley’s hand with her fingers, stilling their nervous fidgeting. “I’m teasing, of course I don’t mind… even though you probably got me all crossed eyed and with my hair all messed up.”

Waverly chuckled as Nicole demonstrated her cross-eyed look and dazzled her with a crooked smile designed to put her at ease. Picking up her phone, Waverly looked between Nicole and the picture she had snapped. “Hmm, nope, no crossed eyed thing going on… I’m afraid you will just have to deal with looking gorgeous every time you call me. I mean,” she blushed furiously as Nicole’s eyes went dark and knowing as her teasing crossed the boundary into flirting again. “I’m in a relationship,” she blurted, “with a boy… man!”

Nicole turned her face away, trying to hide the disappointment and anger for making Waverly feel uneasy. “A boy man, been there,” she chuckled, “they’re the worst. Now,” turning the key in the ignition with a little more force than was necessary, Nicole got the car started, “seat belt on, please. Let’s get you home so you can rest.”


	4. Chapter 4

Waverly stared out of the side window as the silence between them stretched out with each mile that past beneath the patrol cars wheels. Turning slightly, she glanced at Nicole’s profile and found herself fascinated by that and the way her hands gripped and manoeuvred the steering wheel with, as expected, a gentle but firm touch. “Where are you from?” She wanted, needed, to know more about the woman.

“All over. My dad was in the Navy so we moved around a lot. Officially though I was born in Canada as my mom was staying with family as dad was deployed when she found out she was pregnant. We’d moved before I was one. Spent quite a bit of time in Texas at a couple of bases there. Virginia, Florida, California… I have up trying to keep track of it all in the end and just kept my head down and tried to survive school.” Which had not been easy, always been the new kid and a lesbian too. “Had one of those career days at my high school and got drawn to the Police.”

“No desire to join the Navy then?”

“God, no! Saw enough of what that did to a relationship and as a cop I still get to carry a gun and rock a uniform. Though…”

“What?”

“Purgatory’s uniform isn’t exactly flattering. Those damn khaki’s just make my ass look big,” Nicole groused.

“Oh I don’t know,” Waverly laughed at Nicole’s expression. “I bet you manage to make them look hot.”

“Waverly Earp… is that a joke?”

Realising what she’d said Waverly felt not in the least bit repentant as she saw the teasing look in Nicole’s brown eyes. “It was purely unintentional but I’m claiming it before Wynonna gets a hold of all the other bad puns about your name.” And she just knew that her big sisters sarcastic side would have a field day once she heard about Officer Haught. Waverly just hoped it would end up more on the friend teasing side than the poking with a sharp stick malicious side of the spectrum as Wynonna and the law had never particularly gotten along. “Hey, you know where we live?”

“Yeah… no offense to you or your sister but Nedley’s kind of got your address drilled into everyone so if a call comes in we know it could be… well… trouble.” Nicole winced as she glanced at Waverly’s face and saw her lips purse into a thin line that said the Sheriff would be in for an earful the next time she saw him. She knew she shouldn’t have said anything but she didn’t like lying at the best of time. “I’m sorry, Waves.”

“It’s okay, god knows Wyn has done enough to wind him and everyone else in Purgatory up.” It still hurt though, especially as her sister seemed to be trying hard to stay on the right side of the law since she had come back home.

“Not sure if it helps but I’m not going to judge her or you on anything that happened in the past.”

“Hey model citizen here. I will have you know Officer Haught I’m the nicest person in Purgatory… there was a vote… I got a sash!”

“You’ll have to show it me one day,” Nicole chuckled. She wasn’t sure if Waverly was teasing her or not but if there had been such a vote there was doubting that Waverly would win hands down. Everyone loved her.

“Don’t think I won’t either,” Waverly grinned back at her. Hitting call on her phone, Waverly grinned all the more as Nicole’s hips rose as her phone gave a muffled buzz that said it was in the ass pocket of her pants. “Just so you’ve got my number too,” she explained as Nicole’s eyebrow quirked upwards in query.

“So… you got to know a bit about me… going to tell me who Waverly Earp is?”

“Oh,” Waverly gave a little snort and rolled her eyes. “I’m sure the town gossips… aka, everyone, has already filled you in on the Earp’s.”

“I won’t deny that,” she gave Waverly a soft smile as her lips pursed together. “I want to hear about you, from you though.”

“Well, like I said, officially Purgatory’s nicest person,” Waverly gestured to herself. “It’s all in the smile and wave.”

Seeing Waverly demonstrate it, Nicole had to admit that the younger woman did have a stunning smile and wave combination in her arsenal… if it reached the eyes it would be lethal and not just distracting. “Oh, I’m sure there’s more to you than just a smile and a wave.”

The softness of her voice laced with heat made Waverly feel like she was going to burst into flames. Hot on the heels of the flames came a wave of sadness that had her head dropping. “You don’t know me,” she muttered quietly.

“Maybe not yet, but I want to Waverly. I want to know everything about you.”

Waverly squirmed a little in her seat as the heat reached the brown eyes that glanced her way, rendering them almost black with interest and intent. If Nicole had been a man, Waverly realised that she would have been fearful of their intent and wondering just how much it would hurt to throw herself from the car. But it was Nicole and, even though she didn’t really know the officer, she trusted her not to do anything unwanted. The only problem with that though was that with every second they were together, Waverly found that she did want. And that want was electric and scary too. She wasn’t a lesbian... gay or any other label other than straight… at least she’s never thought of herself as anything other than straight until Nicole had rescued her.

Now she was questioning everything she had thought about herself and wondering if Nicole would help her work it all out?


	5. Chapter 5

The sight of the homestead and the lynch gate that marked the front of it loomed on the horizon ahead and made Waverly sigh as she realised her time with Nicole was coming to an end. The redheaded Officer and the feelings she instilled in Waverly intrigued her and made her want to hold on to her longer and explore her… them… her feelings!

Nicole slowed the car down as they passed over the wooden bridge and beneath the lynch gate with the name Earp emblazoned upon it. The gate stood strong despite its age… which was more than could be said for the small farmhouse and the barn that lay beyond. Nicole knew it had been laying empty for quite a while since Wynonna had left Waverly behind in the care of her Aunt and Uncle and skipped town. God only knew why she had moved back there or why Waverly had left her rooms in town to be with her out there in the middle of nowhere in a building that held the stench of tragedy and the very real possibility that it would crumble down in a strong wind.

As Nicole brought the cruiser to a gentle halt and switched off the engine the door to the house crashed open so forcefully, Nicole feared that her assessment on the stability of the building was going to be tested as a slender woman stormed forth, dressed in far too much black and carrying an antique pistol with the longest barrel she had ever seen clutched in one hand and a half empty bottle of Jack in the other.

Instinctively, Nicole reached to shield Waverly from harm and reach for her gun but she wasn’t dressed for work and Waverly was already climbing out of the car to shout at her sister. Nicole gawped for a moment as the sometimes shy but mostly bubbly rainbow of a woman showed another side of herself and squared off against her sister like a force of nature and had her backing up in seconds. “Wow, talk about a Type-A personality.”

“Well! Are you going to get out here and assure my sister you haven’t arrested me?!”

Nicole scrambled for the door then remembered to undo her seatbelt before trying again after it snapped tight and nearly strangled her.

“Nicole, Officer Haught, saved my life…”

“Haught?”

Waverly held up a finger in warning, daring Wynonna to try anything as a smirk spread across her face as she dragged slightly bloodshot eyes over the redhead. Waverly took a step closer to Nicole protectively and almost regretted it as Wynonna’s eyes shot back to her. She worried that somehow her sister could see her fascination with Nicole but Wynonna holstered Peacemaker and pouted.

“Damn it Waves, wasn’t gonna to shoot her! So what the hell happened that you needed saving by Haught-shot here? Did she do us all a favour and shoot Chump? That shitstain doesn’t deserve you, baby girl!”

“It’s, Champ… as well you know. And no… he didn’t turn up like he said he would. Nicole caught me and saved me from falling down the steps in the main stand.” Waverly shuddered at the memory and felt Nicole’s long, nimble fingers give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze that made her want to grab a hold of the tall redhead again and lose herself in her comfort. She might have done it too but Wynonna’s eyebrows climbed in warning and Nicole’s hand slipped away from her shoulder.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” something she would be forever grateful for. “I’d better head off, shift to get to an’ all. Give me a call later and I’ll drive you back to your jeep, okay?” She gave the bottle of Jack swinging from Wynonna’s hand a pointed and scathing look and ignored the confrontational look Waverly’s sister was shooting her. The last thing she wanted or needed was to get into an argument with the other woman… especially with that damn gun of hers close at hand.

“Thank you for the lift, Nicole,” raising up on tiptoes, Waverly brushed her lips across the redheads cheek before she even knew herself that she was thinking of doing it. Brown eyes went wide, colour staining her cheeks as she ducked her head.

“Any time, Waverly… I mean that,” she smiled shyly. “Ms. Earp,” raising a finger she reached to tip the brim of the hat she wasn’t wearing at Wynonna and grumbled to herself all the way back to the car for all the things she was tripping over herself over because of been close to Waverly Earp.

As Nicole drove away, Waverly watched from the front porch as Wynonna stomped her way back into their home. She gave a small wave as Nicole drove through the gate, sighing as she realised she was missing Nicole already. She didn’t think she had been seen but as the car turned back towards Purgatory, Waverly saw Nicole wave back and even over the distance she saw her bright dimpled smile and the fiery shine of her hair as the sun caressed it through the windscreen.

Ducking her head, Waverly watched until Nicole’s police cruiser was out of sight. She could feel Wynonna’s eyes upon her from the window behind her but she didn’t care. She wanted to hold on to the memories and feelings running through her as she thought about Nicole Haught. Haught indeed she smiled. There was just something about her, that strong but gentle touch, that beautiful dimpled smile. The way she looked at her one moment like she was the most precious thing in the world and the next like she wanted to drag her away and ravish her.

Waverly didn’t even want to think about Champ right then but compared to Nicole he was very lacking in every way as a human and a boyfriend. She couldn’t think of one single occasion when he had ever made her so utterly aware of her body or his own the way Nicole did without even trying.

Grinning, she pulled the edges of Nicole’s jacket tighter around herself and buried her nose into Nicole’s scent and wondered if she would mind if she kept it a while longer? Or maybe the theft of it would have Nicole bringing those handcuffs into play.

The End. ;)


End file.
